Author(s): Karen Gibbard, Sandra Lowe, Stephanie Palmer and Tim Willott from the Parish Council Domains Helper Team
If your local (parish and town) council is still considering a move to a .gov.uk domain, the Parish Council Domains Helper Service would like to draw your attention to the current funding position.
You will remember from previous articles, that 1000 councils moving over to a .gov.uk domain in this financial year are able to access funding of £100 +VAT to help offset any initial costs. This funding is finite and will not be available in future years.
At the time of writing, almost 500 councils have claimed their funding, and this figure is increasing by approximately 80 - 100 councils a month. Our current projection suggests all funding will be allocated by late February 2025. We encourage all councils with an appetite to move over to a .gov.uk domain to engage with the Parish Council Domains Helper Service as early as possible, as funding is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Details on how to express an interest can be found at the end of this blog.
Helping you and your council understand .gov.uk domains
We have created a short presentation with a voice-over that introduces the basics of .gov.uk domains. Running at approximately four minutes, it walks through:
- The top three reasons why councils should have a .gov.uk domain.
- The support to help you make the move.
- A call to action reminder about the finite nature of funding.
We’ve posted the about .gov.uk domains presentation to YouTube, just click to open and play. You can easily share it by copying and pasting the link or by sharing directly from YouTube. Whether you play it at one of your meetings or include a link with your agenda, we hope that this will be a great tool for councils as they discuss the possibility of moving over to a .gov.uk domain.
Ongoing support
For now, the Parish Council Domains Helper Service team continues to provide a comprehensive level of support to guide councils all the way from decision-making to setting up good practices on a new .gov.uk domain. There are virtual workshops and drop-in sessions, as well as practical reference material. However, just like funding, this level of support is only available to parish councils in this financial year. Another very good reason to engage sooner rather than later is
Here’s what councils that have recently made the move to a .gov.uk domain are saying about the Service:
- "An excellent initiative which helped make the case to move to .gov.uk"
- "The support so far has been more than expected and very welcome"
- "It was a good, pain-free experience!"
- "We were very pleased with the service received. Thank you for the grant"
- "Very clear and informative"
- "I found the sessions extremely helpful"
- "They spurred me to get on and do it!"
- "The ability to ask questions on the webinars was good, and to hear of other clerks’ experiences too. No complaints on my end; just lots of praise."
Consider engaging as soon as possible
Here are two reminders why tabling a discussion or decision now is important:
- Support and funding to move over to a .gov.uk domain are only available in this financial year.
- Almost 50% of available funding has already been allocated.
Register your council’s interest by completing this short form and we’ll be back in touch with you shortly with a welcome pack and an invitation to join one of our sessions. Everyone is welcome to come along - there is no obligation to move by attending. General enquiries can be sent to parish-helper@domains.gov.uk.
The following blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or legal advice. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Association of Local Councils. Any links to external sources included in this blog post are provided for convenience and do not constitute endorsement or approval of those websites' content, products, services, or policies. Therefore, readers should use discretion and judgment when applying the information to their circumstances. Finally, this blog post may be updated or revised without notice.